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Gruit and Unhopped
Ales
By Adam Larsen
Compiled by Nathi O'Peatain with permission from posts made to
the hist-brewing mailing list between 4/22/00 and (see the Appendix
concerning request and permission to post). These post and the
associated comments comprise a wealth of information concerning
brewing old style Northern European ales.
INDEX
-
Post #1
- Sources
- Mashing and Lautering Methods
-
Post #2
- Boiling Practices
- Shaving Ales
- Partial Boil
-
Post #3
-
Yeast Selection and Fermentation
-
Aging Recommendations
-
Post
#4
-
Recipe for Best Quality Shavings
Ale
-
Post
#5
-
Notes on Best Quality Shaving
Ale
-
Post
#6
-
Aside on off-flavors and their control in
unhopped ales
-
Post
#7
-
Recipe for Gottlandsdricka
-
Post
#8
-
Post
#9
- Recipe for Old Style Jute Ale - Vestmanna Stone
Ale
-
Post
#10
- Notes on Home Production of Old Style Jute Ale -
Vestmanna Stone Ale
- Equipment
- Safety Issues
- Changes to the Recipe
-
Post
#11
-
Post
#12
- Cornish Braggot Part 1b - Dating and Herb Issues
-
Post
#13
- Cornish Braggot Part 2 - Production and Some More Dating
Notes
-
Post
#14
- Cornish Braggot Part 3 - Improved Production Notes
-
Post
#15
-
Post
#16
- Odense Old Style Ale - historical bits
-
Post
#17
- Odense Old Style Ale - conclusion
-
Post
#18
- Ulla Ostergaard's Table Ale - historical notes
-
Post
#19
- Ulla Ostergaard's Table Ale-brewing notes
-
Post
#20
- Ulla Ostergaard's Table Ale - Conclusion (yeast)
-
Post
#21
- Welsh Fruited Table Ale - Part 1
-
Post
#22
- Welsh Fruited Table Ale - Part 2
-
Post
#23
- Welsh Strong Ale (unhopped)
-
Post
#24
RECIPE
INDEX
POST #1 4/22/00
This first posting is meant to provide an introduction regarding
sources and techniques used in the home based production of
unhopped and gruit based ales. My experiences in attempting to brew
these exotic drinks have only recently come to fruition after
roughly 3 years of, mostly, disappointing experimentation. My
intention is that my postings will encourage others to attempt to
use the methods & recipes described. I also hope that others
will help me locate the rather esoteric ingredients required and
share their own experiences. I will provide installments as
frequently as time permits.
I. Sources
My information on these ales have been taken from two sources.
First among these are several old German and English texts listed
below. Secondly, the kindly advice and family recipes/ techniques
provided by friends from the Isle of Man, George Donnsby, and Matti
Sorenson from Gottland. Both are friends I've acquired over the
past 4 years as a result of shared interests.
Books:
"The Historical Companion to House Brewing" by Clive La Pens'ee
(1990) G.S.
Amsinck's "Practical Brewing" (1868)
Roy Suggsden's "The Curious & Quaint Ales of Our Forefathers"
(1912)
J.G. Hahn's "Die Hausbrauerei" (1804)
L. Fuchs' "Kreuterbuch" (1543)
R.K. Sykes' "Instructions For Thrifty Ale Wives" (1797)My forays
into producing ales from these recipes has depended upon others for
translating quantities, measures, terms and techniques into modern
english equivalents. Hence, I feel the need to warn the reader that
that i can't vouch for the historical accuracy of my renditions of
the recipes and methods beyond a rudimentary level.
My descriptions of methods used will be based upon my actual
experiences at making these ales. The originators of recipes will
be stated as either coming from one of the books listed above or
from advice offered by my more experienced brewing friends
mentioned earlier.
II. Mashing and Lautering Methods:
Please note that all of my successful attempts at making unhopped
ales have required mashing and are unsuitable for extract brewing.
Two mash methods have proven themselves applicable to my attempts
at making unhopped ales.
First, when making Juniper based, ex. Sahti and Gottland Drinka, or
various shaving ales I've had best success with an extremely
gradual increase in the mash temperature. This method was described
to me by Matti Sorenson as follows:
"Start with a thick mash of one to one and one quarter liters of
water per half kilogram of grist. In the beginning the mash should
be warm to the touch, although not hot enough for modern mashing."
He guess that the temperature is 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit at this
stage. "The temperature should be gradually increased over the
course of the next three hours by drawing off roughly 750ml of wort
and combining it with about 400ml of water every half hour or so.
The mixture is brought to a boil and mixed back into the main mash.
After continuing in this fashion for three hours the mash is held
for one hour. Lastly, 5 liters of boiling water is added for each
3500 grams of grist prior to drawing off the liquor."
The second method is a no sparge single stage infusion method. My
efforts using this technique are taken from Suggsden's
recommendations. Generally, I have found that mashing temperatures
for antiquarian style ales are very high by modern standards.
Following the instructions found in his book the single infusion
method results in the rests ranging from 155 to 160 degrees
Fahrenheit. Rests are usually 2 to three hours long.
Suggsdens recipes call for 1.5 to 2 quarts of water per pound of
grist with one pound per ten of the grist ground to flour like
constancy with the remainder being courser. A mash out is then
recommended with one quart of boiling water per pound of grist.
Both forms of mashing are followed by the wort being drawn off
slowly over a period of one to three hours depending upon the grist
composition. Typically, some portion of the hop substitutes are
placed in the collection vessel during this phase of the process.
The collected wort is not recirculated.
My experience has been that these procedures result in a low yield
of high gravity wort. Extraction is typically around 70%. In order
to collect enough wort to produce my customary 6 gallon batches my
grist bills are typically 50% to 70% higher then would be the case
for modern ales of comparable gravity.
Finally, these methods are typically used to produce high gravity
ales (1.060 to1.100 O.G.). The resultant ales range from medium to
very thick with great mouth feel. They also have a pronounced
sweetness. The high residual sweetness tends to counter the
sourness often present in hop free ales.
POST #2 - 4/25/00
This posting and previous posting show that the production of gruit
and other unhopped ales require production techniques that are
quite different from contemporary brewing practices. This time
around I'll share a little info I've acquired regarding boil
regimens.
Boiling Practices
My tinkering, reading and discussion regarding the preparation of
old fashioned ales has demonstrated that that my conventional
practice of boiling the wort for one to two hours is not necessary
or even desirable! Sykes for instance suggests that ale be steeped,
not boiled so that "foul humors not be driven into the ale along
with the goodness". Now I've never quite figured out what steeping
entails exactly in terms of temperature and time according to
Sykes. Nonetheless, I have leaned that boiling and spicing strike
and sparge water is equally important to the production of unhopped
ales as is how the wort is treated. Basically, I've been able to
separate the techniques into two categories.
Shavings Ales
The preparation of shavings ales require that the wood called for
in the recipes be boiled in both the strike water and the water
added during the mashing out stage of production. Although Sykes
advises that the boil for both be 15 minutes my experience has been
that the flavoring and anti-septic qualities are noticeably
improved by increasing boil time in for his recipes to 30 minutes.
I've noticed that the astringent qualities extracted from the wood
seem to provide the wort with the anti-septic qualities commonly
attributed to hops, though not the bitterness. Although shavings
ales tend to have a harshness that one does not associate with
hoped ales this quality can be diminished with only 1-2 months of
aging. Also, the astringency of wood tends to not be a issue when
proper attention is paid to the selection of aromatic herbs. Once
again, I'd like to suggest that high mash temperatures be used when
making shavings ales.
With the exception of Gottland Drinka I've yet to sample a
successful shavings style ale that wasn't characterized by a fairly
high level of residual sweetness.
Once the wort has been collected Sykes recommends "1/4 the quantity
of the shavings used thus far be placed along with the kettle
sugars and spices. The admixture should be heated till vapors begin
to rise, but not brought to a boil. The ale should be left to
steep. " Although Sykes does not say how long the wort should steep
my friend George Donnsby has provided some guidance for me on this
matter. Specifically, he recommends that "the last of the shavings
be combined with any bittering herbs once the steam starts to rise
from the wort. Any aromatics should be boiled separately in a
strong tea for five minuets. Place the tea into the wort after it's
steeped for an hour and a half or two hours. You ought to cool the
wort immediately after adding the tea." My own experience has shown
that the steeping is best done at around 160-180 degrees.
Partial Boil
A partial boil is a phrase i use to describe a process described by
Suggsden and Sorenson whereby variously sized portions of the wort
are drawn off spiced , boiled and then added back to the main body
of wort. Typically, ale recipes that call for this procedure have a
a quarter or less of the wort kept warm while aromatic spices are
steeped between 10 and 30 minutes. In a separate vessel, the
remainder of the wort has bittering agents boiled for for an hour
or so. Flavoring agents are often added for the last third or
quarter of the boil. Finally, both mixtures are combined into a
single vessel in which the temperature of the full volume of wort
to drops to a warm level. Kettle sugars, most often a treacle, are
dissolved into the wort for roughly 5-10 minutes prior to cooling.
I've noticed that Sorenson typically keeps the temperature of the
wort during this phase relatively cool, he guesses about 150
degrees. When this method is used the kettle sugars provide
typically 20% of the fermentable materials for the resulting ales.
POST #3 -
4/28/00
My final posting concerning general production methods shall
contend with yeast selection, fermentation and aging
recommendations. Future posts will contain actual recipes, sources
for unusual ingredients and responses to any inquiries. To the
greatest extent possible, i will endeavor to include any relevant
ethnographic information relating to the origins of the beverage in
question. If the readership have any questions regarding my
postings up to this point please tell me and I'll do my best to
provide any additional clarity i can.
Yeast Selection and Fermentation
In my estimation, the selection of yeasts and fermentation
conditions appear to be the most difficult aspect of making ales
that approximate those of antiquity. During my research I've come
across references to two different yeasts that were previously
unknown to me.
While going through Donnsby's old family recipes I've found
several comments regarding the desirability of "Northerndown
yeast". This yeast is reputed to be "buttery in taste and easy to
preserve". While I assume "Northerndown" is a particular strain I'm
at a loss as to it's actual identity. The second is referred to as
"tawny yeast" which apparently is made into a starter with either
molasses or treacle in combination with whatever, hop leaves, an
egg white and bread crumbs. In both cases the recommended pitching
rates seem to translate into 2-4 quarts per quarter barrel
depending upon the recipe. Unfortunately, I'm unable to discover
any additional information regarding these two kinds of yeast.
Perhaps the readership may be able to shed some light on this
topic.
One aspect of the brewing process, as recommended by Sykes,
which appears odd to me is the recommendation that all of the trub
from the boil vessel be placed into the fermenter. He then suggests
that the ale be racked 2 days after the yeast is pitched. Half the
trub is then to be saved as you would yeast and reintroduced into
the ale after it completes fermentation with roughly 2 ounces of an
unspecified, but spiced, distilled liquor and 2 quarts of fresh
cream per 5 gallons. The brewer then instructed to wait two days
and then rack the ale into the aging vessel. The ale is then left
until consumption is recommended.
Although I've been assured that this procedure produces fine
ale i can't help but to think that large amounts of trub present
during fermentation and unnecessary racking can't help but to
produce poor results. I'm also quite worried about introducing
cream into ale under any circumstances. As a result, I've lacked
the fortitude to attempt the fore mentioned procedure. Perhaps the
more adventurous elements of the readership could attempt such a
procedure and inform me of the results.
I have also observed a Nordic practice whereby the
fermentation takes place in a ceramic pot or churn rapped in
blankets which are soaked by melting ice. I assume the intention is
to provide evaporative cooling . Although I've been told that is
practice is quite ancient I'm unconvinced because I've seen no
mention of it in any any vintage text and, as a result, believe
this to be a recent practice . Another interesting element of these
ceramic vessels is that that they often have affixed to them a home
made airlock which is inserted into a wooden lid . It appears to be
constructed of two short wooden tubes that differ in diameter by
about 1/2". The smaller of the two is placed in side the larger and
a hole is drilled through the both of them which are then held to
together by a dowel. A donut shaped piece of wood is fitted to the
bottom of air lock between the two tubes. A thimble like object is
placed on top of smaller tube and the assembly filled with bitterly
spiced water. A piece of cheese cloth like material is then affixed
to the entire assembly.
Unlike the evaporative cooling arrangement described
earlier, some conclusions regarding the vintage of this airlock
design can be made. I've seen hand written notes, circa 1880's,
describing the construction method and a diagrams in a carpentry
text of similar vintage.
Aging Recommendations
In my experience, ales that have no gruits, hops or boiled
shavings typically should be consumed quickly, i.e. in less then a
week. These ales are best consumed flat as they seem to go off
after two or more weeks in a bottle. Such ales can be quite good
but do to their lack of staying power I'd recommend preparing very
small batches.
As an aside, I've noted a curious soda like beverage in
Iceland that has great similarity to to the unspiced ales of old.
I've been told that it's production method is similar to making
wort. Instead of hopping the sweet wort is apparently left
unfermented, filtered, forced carbonated and canned. Having sampled
this strange soda I can safely say that it tasted like a light
bodied, unhopped sweet wort. If anyone has attempted to make such a
beverage I'd be delighted to hear about it.
Contrary to the advice of other brewers who have made
shavings ales I've found that they are best drunk no less then 1
month, preferably 2, after being bottled. Younger shavings ales,
regardless of the wood used, are quite harsh with unpleasant, to me
at least, after tastes. Typically, shavings ales benefit from a
long, 2-3 weeks, secondary fermentation period during which the
yeast is "feed" one to three sugar cubes each day. I'm not sure why
this improves the flavor but it does make for a better balanced
ale.
Gruit based ales have no general prescription for aging.
instead, the herbs that compose the gruit and method of spicing
determine how long it should be stored prior to consumption. As a
result, I'll give my aging recommendations for the recipe in
question if I've got actual experience. When such ground truth is
lacking I'll simply provide the recommendations of the recipes'
author.
POST #4 - 5/3/00
My first recipe is taken from pages 33 & 34 of Sykes's book
"Instructions for Thrifty Ales Wives". The conversions of the units
to modern American measures is the result of the generous efforts
of Prof. A.W. Winston Ph.D.., retired. The conversions in question
were made in October 1997. Conversion of the remainder of the
recipe into a form usable in the modern kitchen was undertaken by
myself and George Donnsby during the second and third weeks of May,
1998, principally during direct contact. The recipe stated in
modern home brewing terms is followed by a few notes regarding
ingredient selection and production tips. A follow up post
detailing tasting notes, and recommendations for reproduction will
follow within 48 hours. According to the text, the recipe dates
from the Cromwell period*, originated in or near Northumberland and
was thought to be of great dietary value. The recipe was, according
to the author, obtained from a then elderly brewer in Berwickshire
while he was writing the book.
*Note added by compiler - the Cromwell period was
around the mid 17th c.
Best Quality Shavings Ale (6
gallons)
Grain bill:
wheat - 3 pounds
oats - 3 pounds
malt, brown - 4 pounds
malt, pale - 10 pounds
Sugars:
three pounds of honey, unspecified type
wood:
fir, eight small branches and a half pound of chips
Spices:
Carduus, yarrow & century, dried, 2 to 3 ounces each
licorice root, dried, 4 inches long
Yeast:
unspecified type, starter should be at least two quarts of
slurry
Production
Prior to mashing place the branches in your boiling
vessel along with eight gallons of strike water. Boil the branches
and water for a full hour. Save the branches after the boil and tie
them together with string. The bundle of sticks should be left to
dry in a well ventilated place. The water in which the wood was
boiled should be reused for strike water during the mashing.
My previous post dated the 22ed. of April detailed a
mashing method described by Sorenson for the production of shavings
ales. I would suggest that anyone attempting to make this recipe
follow the fore mentioned procedure for two reasons.
First, Sykes's description is quite similar to
Sorenson's, although some what vague in comparison. Specifically,
Sykes fails to mention exactly how much water and wort should be
drawn off, boiled and reintroduced back into the mash. Instead he
only talks in terms of the numbers of kettles used during this
stage. Secondly, i have have made three successful batches using
Sorenson's method with similar results each time.
A second point to consider during the mash is that
the high percentage of unmated ingredients used tends to lend to
the mashes becoming stuck. Sykes recommends that if this occurs one
should introduce an additional pound of fresh, lightly crushed malt
back into the mash along with 3 quarts of boiling water. The mash
should be stirred and allowed to sit for an additional half an hour
before attempting to draw off the wort.
I have found this method to work quite well in
practice. However, on one occasion, i needed to perform this
procedure twice in order to gather the requisite 6 gallons of wort.
The wort should then be boiled for no less then three quarters of
an hour during which time half of all of the spices should be
introduced.
The wood chips should also be boiled with the wort
for the full duration.
While the wort is cooling , add one pound of honey
to the wort and stir until it's dissolved. The wort should then be
placed into a barrel once it's cool along with the yeast starter.
The ale should then be dropped/racked after roughly half a day into
another barrel along with the now dry bundle of branches. The
remaining spices should then be placed in a cheese cloth sack which
should in turn be inserted into the barrel.
The ale should then be allowed to age for one month.
The ale is then racked off the sediment into a serving cask. The
final two pounds of honey should be combined with a kettle full of
the ale and heated, not boiled, just until the honey fully
dissolves. The mixture should be reintroduced into the ale and
allowed to sit for seven more days prior to consumption.
Notes
A few issues should be clarified prior to attempting
make this ale.
First of all, i had to take a liberty with the grain
bill. Specifically, i am assuming that the wheat and oats were
unmalted. Secondly, Sykes says that the original recipe did not
contain any specifics with regards to the malts recommended.
Instead, the brewer from whom he obtained the recipe arrived at the
ratio of brown to pale malts as a result of trial and error over a
period of several years. While i don't have any specifics regarding
the malt profiles of the the barley used I've found great success
using beeston's Marris Otter and brown malts.
The actual recipe as recited by Sykes calls for the
use of licorice root as a substitute for something called Spanish
licorice which was apparently originally called for in the earlier
version of the recipe. I have no idea what Spanish licorice is or
how it was used.
(Editors note: Spanish licorice is the commonly
available commercial licorice root.)
In so far as yeast is concerned i have found that
Ring wood ale yeast provides good results provided that your
starter is at least two quarts comprised primarily of
slurry.
If you, like me, don't own ale casks I'd recommend
fermenting in a carboys. I'd also suggest using oak chips, 6
ounces, during the primary and secondary fermentations. If you
intend to bottle this ale I'd suggest that you use one cup of honey
as a primer.
POST #5 -
5/9/00
The following are notes regarding Sykes's "Best
Quality Shavings Ale". If any questions arise regarding this ale
that are not addressed in this post please make your concerns known
and I'll see if they can be addressed.
Miscellaneous Production
Issues
For some reason unknown to me unhopped ales in
general go off if great quantities of slurry are not used. I their
for feel the need to restate that no less then two quarts of slurry
be used per six gallons of ale. Also, i have noted that when the
ale is first racked or dropped it behooves the brewer to inject
pure oxygen, as per modern home brewing practice, for 30-40
seconds.
I have noted that this ale should be fermented at
temperatures no greater then 70 degrees F. during both primary and
secondary stages. I have also noted that the taste of the ale
improves significantly when cask conditioned or via prolonged
contact with French oak chips. I confess that i am unaware of the
kind of oak used in the manufacture of barrels at the time of the
recipe's creation.
During the production of this particular ale i noted
that that my starting gravity ranged from 1.072 to 1.080. The
rather low rate of extraction makes me think that traditional home
brewing must have been a vary expensive proposition indeed.
When i have bottled this ale I've noted that it best
be prime with gyle or honey. Corn sugar when used as a priming
agent seems to have resulted in poor head retention.
I would strongly recommend that the aging guidelines
in the last post be followed. This ale is rather astringent and
harsh when when young. Also, after bottling, this ale must sit for
no less then three weeks, preferably four or five. Although the
tannins and other chemicals extracted from the wood appear to
provide natural preservatives i do not know how long this ale can
be kept. In any case, the batch has always been consumed within a
month after the first bottle is opened.
Tasting Notes
This ale does not taste at all like any modern ale
I've had. The fir contributed a very significant tannin element to
the taste profile which was characterized by a high residual
sweetness. The ale was also vary malty and full bodied with a
slight,but noticeable alcoholic aftertaste. Oddly enough, the
Carduus, yarrow and century did not contribute much to the flavor
profile. While they did contribute a noticeable bitterness that was
reminiscent of hops they didn't provide any taste or aromatics that
was perceptible. The licorice seems to have added to the aftertaste
but certainly was not prominent.
POST #6 -
5/10/00
It has come to my attention that several brewers in
and associated with this list's readership have raised the issue of
sourness and other unwanted flavors associated with un hopped ales.
Because my early attempts at producing such ales was afflicted with
such unwanted attributes i feel the need to briefly discuss my
observations regarding the flavoring and preservation of unhopped
ales.
First and foremost, one should differentiate any
ingredients placed into an unhopped ale in terms of which of the
following criteria they fulfill: Safety, antiseptic, bittering,
flavoring or aromatics.
First off, safety is an issue. Several ingredients
should never be used in any beverage regardless of historical
accuracy. While i am not in a position to make a definitive list i
would state that the following herbs be excluded from one's brew:
thorn apple, datura and pyracantha.
I would recommend that one research any obscure herb
before consuming it. If you have any doubts error on the side of
caution and don't use it at all.
The main benefit of using hops in ales is that they
are without question an excellent preservative. However, numerous
other herbs can provide bittering qualities as good or better then
hops. I have discovered the hard way that when composes a gruit or
any form of unhopped ale careful attention must be given to the
selection of an anti septic agent. While the readership may be
aware of a great many such herbs i know of only a few that i have
direct experience with.
Specifically, i can recommends horehound, alehoof,
aloe, bog bean, carduus and century. Of these , i have had best
success with bog bean and alehoof. Horehound and aloe juice are
good anti septics but it impart harsh tastes that is best mask with
other flavors.
Wood shavings, as described in previous posts,
provide excellent antic septic qualities. However, shavings can
easily dominate the ale making for an overly astringent and tannic
tasting drink. This problem can be overcome via the use of other
flavoring/bittering herbs in conjunction with a high mash
temperatures and high residual sugars.
Bittering can often be provided by the same herbs
used for their anti septic qualities. Carduus and Century are fine
bittering elements but they produce poor results when they are not
included with a more robust anti septic.
Flavoring and aromatic herbs are legion. Any useful
description requires that they be incorporated in such a manner
that they compliment or mask the other elements comprising the
flavor profile of the ale in question. If any one wishes to know
specific examples found outside of the recipes i post just drop me
a line and I'll let you know if i can help.
POST #7 -
5/16/00
My second recipe is for one of Matti Sorenson's
Gottland Drinkas. I am unsure as to the actual vintage of this
recipe. I have seen the original recipe hand written on three
separate sheets of some very aged material i believe to be
parchment. Sorenson's family has been using this recipe for a
great number of generations and assures me that Gottland Drinka is
one of the oldest styles of ale known to Northern Europe. I will
use the same descriptive method for this recipe as i did for the
previous recipe.
Sorenson Family Drinka (five gallons)
Grain Bill:
amber malt, smoked: 8 pounds
pale malt, smoked: 8 pounds
flaked malt: 2 pounds
flaked rye:1 pound
wheat, unmalted, 1 pound
Sugars:
honey, unspecified but not clover, 2 pounds
Herbs:
Bog bean or Carduus to taste
bog myrtle: roughly 1 tablespoon
Wood:
juniper branches
Production:
Place a bunch of short juniper branches with berries along with 15
liters of water into a kettle and boil for one hour. Draw off the
water and set the branches aside to dry in the sun. Use the
Sorenson Mash technique described in my April 22nd. posting with
one exception.
When it comes time to mash out raise the juniper
flavored water to a boil and place it in the mash/lautun. Place
half of the bog myrtle in the brew pot. Next, draw off the wort as
described in the Sorenson method of my April 22ed. posting.
Place the now dried juniper branches back into your
brew kettle along with the sweet wort and bring to a boil. While
waiting for the wort to come to a boil make a bog bean or Carduus
extract following the procedure described in pages 142 & 144 of
Clive La Pensee's "The Historical Companion to House Brewing" . One
can also use purchased bog bean and carduus extracts for providing
a bittering element to this ale with good results.
Once, the wort comes to a boil place the extract
mentioned earlier into your brew pot. One can adjust the bitterness
during the course of the hour long boil by following La Pensee's
method. After the wort has boiled for 40 minutes place the
remaining bog myrtle into the brew to be. During the last five
minutes of the boil add one pound of honey. Once the wort has
cooled transfer it too a cask and pitch three quarts of yeast
slurry. Wait one day before drooping to a second cask with the
second pound of honey poured directly into the new cask first.
After visible signs of fermentation have ended transfer the ale
into an earthen ware milk churn. One should place a sugar cube into
the churn each day for the next three weeks.
After three weeks the ale is primed with one cup of
honey per five gallons of ale. The ale should be allowed to
condition for no less then 2 months, preferably three.
Additional Production Notes
With regards to the grain bill i should state right
away that i don't know the malting specifications for amber malt.
Matti floor malts his own barley in an old fashioned manner and i
am not sure if a modern commercial equivalent exists. Amber malt
appears and tastes like a much more mild form of modern brown malt.
The original recipe, as found on the parchment, differs from the
one above in that it calls for 12 pounds amber and 4 brown malt. If
one is interested in making a historically more accurate version of
this recipe I'd suggest adjusting the grain bill
accordingly.
The malt used in this ale is smoked on an outdoors
clay oven that resembles an old American smoker in construction and
operation. The method for smoking is as follows: the grain is
placed into a large pot, covered with water and allowed to soak for
a few minutes. The whet grain is then scooped out and placed in
thin layers upon wooden sheets with a great number of very tiny
holes drilled throughout the bottom. These sheets are then placed
into the smoker and left for 20 minutes or so once the hard wood
fire has died down. One should flip the malt two, perhaps three
times while it smokes with a spatula.
I have been able to smoke my own barley using modern
equipment as described in various contemporary books and magazines
with good results. If anyone wants specific references just let me
know.
Although this ale is supposed to be made a wooden
combination mash/lautun called a rostbunn i have had fine results
with a conventional home brewing setup. If any one wants the
additional historical accuracy of building their own rostbunn
contact me and I'll tell you how to build and use one.
One does not need a cask to make this ale. I have
used carboys in conjunction with oak chips with fine results. I'd
suggest 3-4 ounces of oak chips be used during each phase of
fermentation.
Lastly, this is a high gravity recipe and as such
you must following the pitching guidelines in order to have a well
attenuated product.
POST #8
5/22/00
This post deals with a vary obscure style of Nordic
ale that uses heated stones for both raising mash and wort
temperatures. A rather sketchy recipe was made know to me by in a
set of documents from the mid 1400's in Vestmanna. It would appear
that documents are in fact copies of earlier documents, mid 1000's,
which were from Denmark.
My translations efforts humbled me and forced me to
consult with my betters. Translations were quite difficult, even
for them, but in the end were well provided by the kindly
assistance of Prof. Mina Lojala and Pele Jacobsen. I'll post more
information about the recipe itself when i send it in.
Because the recipe is rather hazy at points, as is
everything this old, i looked into production methods after hearing
vague reports of stone ale from Finland and Latvia. I was only able
to find out any thing useful after talking to Anne Neystabo, of
Fuglafjorour, who went to the trouble of showing me how to make
what she calls "old style jute ale". This ale is not commercially
produced, it may never have been, and only a few local home brewers
make it, most don't even know about it. What follows is a
description of the mash, boiling and fermentation processes. I'll
give the recipe and recommendations for simulating it the Americas
in the next post.
Old Style Jute Ale Production
Equipment:
The mash tub i saw was made to produce roughly 15
gallon batches although it seemed to be able to hold over three
time times more liquid. It was constructed out of Baltic Oak and
was rectangular in shape. Across it's bottom lay a tightly woven
layer of weathered and new pine branches. Upon this sets the grist
and a couple of handfuls of crushed elder berries. On top of the
berries and grist lay a 3/4" or so thick pile of baltic birch bark
and shavings. A second wooden tub, made of oak, served as a boil
vessel, yes a boil vessel, and as a cool ship. Both vessels have a
spigots and were stacked on a large wooden frame similar to
American three vessel home brewing rigs.
Oven:
An enclosed earthen oven with a heating surface made
of stone was used as a heat source. The oven has heavy doors made
of what appeared to be surplus boiler plate which provide access to
the fire. The cooking surface lay about 2 feet above the base of
the oven where the fire is built. The fire used hard wood initially
until a strong heat was built up. Fuel used to maintain the fire
was principally moss and scrub with a fair portion of hardwood.
About a foot above the base lay a thick iron lattice.
Upon this lattice a few rocks, each roughly the size
of a fist, were placed. I don't know what kind of rocks were used
as i know nothing about geology. The rocks were heated until they
glowed with heat. They were transported to the mash tub in well
soaked buckets and handled by two pairs of tongs.
Mash Technique:
Nine heated stones are placed into the mash tub
roughly eight inches apart from each other in lines. Three quarts
of water per pound of mash are poured slowly over the rocks after
the top layer of shavings catch fire and smolder a bit. The mixture
is allowed to prove for roughly half an hour before being stirred.
A second batch of six stones are placed into the mash tub at this
time.
After half an hour wait, three gallons of wort is
drawn off into a barrel containing an equal amount of cold water.
Three heated stones are placed into the barrel containing the mix.
After fifteen minutes the wort is returned to the mash tun and the
whole mash mixed. The aforementioned procedure is repeated two more
times with the wait times increased to 3/4's an hour. The stones
used during these phases are set aside until fermentation.
At this time the wort is allowed to set for the
final hour of the mash. During this final hour of mashing a few
handfuls of elder berries are flung into the wort. Also, several
stones are removed from the mash tub and placed back into the oven
during this period.
Boil
The wort is drawn of into a wooden tub roughly fifty
percent smaller then the mash tub. The wort is raised to a boil by
placing six heated stones into the vessel. After a wait of a
quarter hour or so an additional four stones are placed into the
wort This procedure is repeated twice before the stones are set
aside to cool .
Fermentation:
The ale is racked to several casks into which a
couple of sugar coated stones are placed along with birch shavings.
After a day the young ale is racked into a second set of casks
along with the remainder of the sugared stones, more shavings and
century extract where fermentation continues for 10 days. The ale
is racked a last time into casks containing woodruff and/or balm to
condition for two months prior to consumption.
POST #9
5/23
The recipe i mentioned in last post is a rather
vague affair. Because it is the oldest recipe that contains any
specifics regarding grist composition and spices i felt it worth
including. I'm not sure if all the historical trivia relating to
the larger document is of any interest to the bulk of the
readership. If anyone has a question with regards to any specifics
regarding the document it self let me know and I'll check my notes.
Oh, the measurements are given in modern imperial terms.
Vestmannna document ale recipe (half barrel)
Grain Bill:
Barley, malted, type unspecified: 25 lb.
oats: unspecified type, i assume unmalted: 25lb.
Herbs:
elder berries
Balm
a bitter root, type unspecified
Production:
First off, the oats are cracked, covered with water
and allowed to prove overnight. After the water is then strained
away and " the oats are placed into a barrel with a fifth of the
malt. Boiled water is slowly poured over the malt, stirred and
allowed to work".
The oat mixture is then placed into "a branch laden
tub" with the remainder of the grist and "some local berries that
have been crushed. Heated stones are placed upon shavings covering
the grist causing them to spark alight. Water is poured upon the
stones and grist. This procedure is carried out "allowing the grist
to work as per the art."
Spicing and Fermentation:
"The sweet liqueur is casked and flavored with a
bitter root. After the ale has stopped working it is dropped to
another cask half filled with sweet stones and some balm. When the
ale stops working it is dropped again leaving half a barrel of ale
that is ready to be drunk."
POST
#10 5/24/00
My last post on the issue of Vestmanna stone ale
will cover a few practical points in making it at home.
Equipment
In terms of equipment i would say that one should
have a huge cooler style mash tun. I used such a device loaned to
me by a state side brewer to make stone ale last year. When last in
the states i saw 120 quart coolers, they sold for about 40 dollars,
converted into mash/lauter tuns. All that extra room should make
for plenty of places to place the requisite wood, grist and stones
needed for a five gallon batch.
As for the oven i noted that in several parks found
across the states one could use grills of heavy stone construction
for the purpose. I have been told that these have served the task
at hand quite well.
Also, i see no need for a cool ship/boil vessel as
was used out here. Instead, i would suggest that one use a wort
chiller, you'll get a better hot break any way, and a standard brew
pot.
As for the rocks to use, well that is a tougher
question. I reckon that one should talk to a geologist regarding
what local stone would be suitable. Certainly rocks that are porous
or that contain carbonates would be unsuitable. It would seem that
a two thirds reduction in the amount of stones used during the
various steps would be called for in a five gallon recipe.
Safety Issues
If you attempt to make this style of ale i would
strongly suggest that you wear very heavy gloves, industrial
goggles, a rubber apron and as much protective clothing as possible
while handling heated rocks. I would suggest that one use well
soaked wooden buckets, with no standing water, when moving the
rocks. I would think that an iron pot with wooden holds would also
be all right for transport. Finally, one must have two or more sets
of high quality fire place tongs.
Changes to the recipe
For a five gallon, u.s., batch i would suggest that
one reduce the grain bill from the last post by two thirds. If you
want to make things simpler just use malted oats. If you do use
unmalted oats be sure to follow PBLoomis's recommendations and use
a pound of malt per two pounds of unmalted oats when preparing the
oats for latter mash stages.
In so far as spices are concerned i would use same
ones mentioned in the first post. In terms of elder berries i have
found that 12 ounces, dried, per five gallons is fine and that
twice that amount is better is one uses fresh. In so far as century
extract is concerned it simply is a mater making sure that the ale
is not to sweet for one's taste. Balm and woodruff should be used
in a dried form with an once for the first and two for the latter
being recommended. However, some folks prefer less of the last two
herbs so if your not used unhopped ales i would think that you
should use a little less.
If you don't have a cask i think you could use an
open fermenter for your primary and introduce the sugar covered
stones into the green ale once the foam drops after a couple of
days. I would suggest that final conditioning prior to bottling be
done in carboys or kegs.
Apparently this ale was consumed flat. While some of
the SCA'ers in the readership may be willing to drink flat, live
ale for the sake of historical accuracy i for one prefer carbonated
ale. I would suggest that one prime the ale with gyle or honey and
wait two months after bottling for best results.
My next recipe is a simple Cornish recipe along with
some variants. Hopefully no one has been put off thinking that
unhopped ales are as difficult to make as stone based ones.
POST
#11 5/26/00
I hesitated in putting up posts about braggot production for
two
reasons: lack of recent discussion and the cost of making them,
brewers
being such a thrifty lot, recent indications have proved me wrong
so
here it is.
This is without a doubt the best Braggot I've ever had. It
teaches
you allot about making obsolete drinks with old style methods so
it's a
good learning tool. It comes to me from George Donnsby's
collection
of family recipes and it's a stunner! The recipe was apparently
written
in 1355, copied in the late 1500's and appears on material that to
my
untrained eye seems to be vellum. I had a terrible time talking
George
into letting me post it, which is strange considering that his
family
has been out of the brewing trade for almost 30 years, although in
the
end he relented.
While i read over the recipe for the first time three years ago
i
discovered that it was made originally to celebrate the anniversary
of
the German victory at Litchfeld. According to the original author
the
recipe was based upon a much older German recipe. Personally i have
no
idea what kind of Braggots the Germans made at the time but it
certainly
does not seem similar to any contemporary German/Fresian recipes i
know
of. Also, i would suspect that the only reason an Englishman would
feel
the need to celebrate the outcome at Litchfeld would be out of
religious
conviction, although i could be wrong.
Otto's Commemorative Honey'd Ale (7 gallons
u.s.)
Grist Bill
malt, dark: 10 pounds, i assume and use amber but it could be
brown
malt, fine: 15 pounds, i assume pale
oats, unspecified type: 10 pounds
Wood:
Birch shavings and bark
Sugars:
sugar, brown: 1 pound
honey, unspecified type: 2 gallons
cream 1 1/2 quarts
Spices:
Carduus, dried root: 6 inch long, made into extract
Buck bean, dried root: extract to taste, I'd suggest 3 ounces
Carduus, fresh leaf: a handful
balm, unspecified form: 3 handfuls
vanilla bean: 2 handfuls
spice nails (i.e. cloves), crushed: 2 large spoonfuls
Marshmallow, unspecified form: a handful
elder berries, fresh & crushed: 2 handfuls
Preparation:
"Take half the honey and heat it till it runs like water then add
a
third the balm and half the spice nails to the mix. Heat for an
hour
taking care to not let it boil. When cool cask with fresh ale
balm.
Wait half a day and drop to a new cask and wait not more then two
days
before making the ales.
On the third day make an extract of the Carduus and buck bean.
Mix the the two bitter brews together."
Mashing:
"Place three quarters of all the grains in a mash tub and mix
with
water too hot to touch yet not boiling, stir well together till you
have
a thick porridge like mixture. Let it work as per the art. Stop
the
work with three gallons of boiled water. Draw of the sweet
liqueur
and set aside. Place the remainder of the grist into the tub and
mash
again. Stop the work with three gallons of boiled water then draw
off
the second running and place apart from the first."
First boil:
"Take the first running and boil it well with a quarter of the
extract and honey plus a third of the balm. Set aside the
strong
running."
Second Boil:
"The second running should then be boiled vigorously with a
very
large bunch of fresh birch shavings, half the elder berries and a
half
quart of cream. Allow to cool then cask along with the dregs from
the
cask that held the honey liquor."
Early Conditioning:
"Take the strong ale and place it into the cask containing the
honey liquor along with fresh ale balm, the used birch shavings and
the
remainder of the elderberries. Wait a week allowing the ale to
prove
itself.
Add to the second ale half a pound of sugar a day for two
days."
Later Conditioning:
"After the second ale has worked for three days combine all
three
ales into a single cask along with a goodly amount of fresh ale
balm,
the dregs of the now empty casks and a quarter of the extract.
Allow
the ale to set for 6 months or more. Test the ale to see if it
is
bitter enough each month, if against expectation it is not add
another
spoonful of extract and wait a two more weeks before again tasting
and
adding more extract if needed .
Final Conditioning
When the ale as fully matured and one is satisfied with the
bittering level add the remaining honey, cream, balm and some
bark
before sealing the cask tightly and waiting one week. Place the
remainder of the spices into the cask, seal tightly and wait an
additional three days before serving.
* In the next post I'll handle some practical issues relating
to
making this Braggot*
POST
#12 5/28/00
In light of recent inquiries that i have received i feel the need
to
jump the gun a bit and provide some information that was intended
for
part 2 of the Cornish Braggot thread. I have included below some
recent
correspondence that i believe will shed some light on a few points
of
concern. The inquiries and my responses are as follows:
Tim Bray wrote:
> Adam - This certainly sounds like a great recipe and I would
love to
try
> it, but I do have some questions about the provenance and
dating.
>
> First, I take it that the version you have translated was
written out
in
> English?
>
> Second, a 1355 date seems dubious if the recipe actually calls
for
"brown
> sugar" and especially "vanilla beans," as the latter are New
World.
Late
> 1500's is theoretically possible for these ingredients, but
specifying
> brown sugar still seems unlikely.
>
> I'm not trying to be picky, I am just curious as to the actual
origin
of
> this recipe. If it truly comes from the 14th century, that
would be
> fantastic.
>
> Thanks for all the great info in your series of posts - can't
wait to
try
> some of them!
>
> Cheers,
> Tim Bray
> Albion, CA
Hello,
Thanks for your interest. I think i should tell you that their
is
no
need to worry about being fussy as your questions are
reasonable.
First
off the recipe was written in Cornish and was translated by
George
Donnsby, a
direct descendent of the author. The measurements were made
into
contemporary American measurements by a fellow antiquarian/brewer
Paul
Filby. The recipe actual calls for something called "blacked
sugar"
which i
just assumed was comparable to brown sugar although i don't know
for
sure.
Also, the vanilla was, according to the version i saw, thought to
a
great
modern addition made by the transcriber during the late 1500's when
the
present version of the recipe was made. The transcriber also went
to
great
pains to point out that cloves were a terrible bother to obtain
and
suggested that they be replaced with something called "fennis
pepper"
which i
have no idea what it was.
All these points and a few more were going to be placed in part
2
of the
braggot Cornish series. Although it would appear that "the gun has
been
jumped" as they say in America.
Hopefully this information is helpful
Adam
-------------------------------
Michael Newton wrote:
Here is where I have some questions. I have no idea when the
battle of Litchfeld was, but I doubt that it was written in 1355
due to
the spice ingredients. Vanilla is found in South America, so either
the
recipe is post Columbus (latter half of 1400's) or vanilla was
added in
later by someone else (does the recipe seem to be written by one or
more
people?)
Where the heck did you find some Carduus Benedictus? and more
importantly, how can I get a hold of some?
Could you give me some info on the buck bean? genus, that sort
of thing? I can't seem to find anything on it.
Beatrix
(who is interested in doing the recipe, but wants to do some
research first)
From:
adam larsen <euphonic@flash.net>
To:
Michael Newton <melcnewt@netins.net>
Your points along with many others were going to be dealt with
in
the second
installment because their is just too much detail to cover in one
post.
The vanilla was, according to the version i saw, thought to a
great
modern addition made by the transcriber during the late 1500's when
the
present version was made. The transcriber also went to great pains
to
point out that cloves were a terrible bother to obtain and
suggested
that they be replaced with something called "fennis pepper" which i
have
no idea what it was.
Buck bean is also known as Menyanthes trifoliata. It was a
bittering
and anti septic agent that was best loved in Germany and the
Nordic
countries. Although it was some what common in Albion Yarrow was a
more
popular ingredient.
The Battle of Litchfeld was fought in 955 between the Germans
and
the Hungarians. I assume that the Otto in the recipe's title was
taken
from the German commander of the forces in opposition to the
Hungarians. An interesting point to consider is that the
Germans
managed to raise support for the campaign from France and
several
Northern European nations although i don't know if any
volunteers
came from England. It was a rather pivotal event in European
history
although i find it bizarre that a Cornish Brewer would care so
long
after the fact. Regardless though i can only speculate as to
what
sources the transcriber used and his motivations. Perhaps they
were
religious? Personally i am of the
opinion that the recipe evolved quite a bit from what ever it's
first
incarnation was like.
In so far as the Carduus is concerned i think I'll put together
a
list of state side sources for gruit herbs like carduus, horehound,
bog
bean, eyebright etc. if more interest is expressed. If you
can't
wait just tell me and I'll give you a source or two for carduus.
POST
#13 5/28/00
This post will cover principally some practical issues regarding
the
production of this braggot.
First however a few points need to be cleared up. One point is
that
i have never made this recipe using marshmallow or cream. I have
always
been leery of putting dairy products into ale although i understand
that
several modern ales from Albion use them. Does anyone know which
ones or
how they are used? Perhaps someone can provide some information
regarding the state of professional literature on this matter or
their
own experiences. Also, would anyone know weather the introduction
of
cream could introduce off flavors? Has someone discovered an ideal
time
to introduce cream into an ale? I have never used the
marshmallow
because until quite recently i was unaware of what it exactly
was.
When i have made this braggot in the past i choose to reduce
the
grain bill and sugars by 25% across the board. My justification for
so
doing was that i reasoned that the large quantities of
fermentable
material was primarily a result of poorly converted malt. This
drink
is quite alcoholic, loaded with aromatics and has a body quite
heavier
then any other braggots from a comparable period.
This ale requires incredible amounts of yeast so quite an
additional amount of preparatory thought is required. I have found
that
you simply can't make this ale without using 6-8 liters of slurry.
If
you under pitch this braggot i have noted it to be overly sweet
and
poorly balanced. While i have had better results when i inject
roughly
half a cubic foot of oxygen i can't say that it makes a drastic
difference. I have not know this drink to have trouble with
stuck
fermentations nor have i had the need to use the nutrients
normally
associated with mead production.
The spices used have been rather complimentary and provide a
good
balance to my tastes. If however you don't normally drink gruited
ales
or spiced braggots i would suggest that the spices be decreased
by
10-20%.
Oh, by the way as an historical aside i found out a few
additional
things regarding this recipe after ringing Donnsby. The version of
the
recipe i cited previously was carbon dated at great expense about
2
years back and apparently dates from 1567. George tells me that
the
braggot was last known to be in production back in 1798. He
reached
this date by looking at shipping records from the family records.
He
doesn't have any serious indications when it was first made
commercially
other then the recipe it self and sporadic records from the from
the
late 1600's.
POST
#14 6/9/00*
*For clarity sake this post is being
presented slightly out of chronological order.
(Note from Adam: Part three represents the
latest and best information and
should be used insofar as making the Cornish braggot recipe at home
is
concerned. The original part 2 represented older information that
has
been expanded and improved upon in the last post. The only relevant
part
of the first part two is the historical notes at the end of the
post.
Sorry for the confusion.)
Hello to all and sorry for the delay in getting this bit out.
I'll
finish up this subject by giving instructions on how to make
this
Braggot at home.
In terms of the grist bill and the sugars used i have found
that
the amounts called for in the old recipe are quite excessive unless
one
uses poorly modified malts. I have found that one can reasonable
reduce
the grist by 30% when using modern commercial malt and if you have
a
RIMS set up I'd suggest reducing it by 35% to 40% depending upon
how
efficient one's setup is. I have found that a similar reduction in
the
sugars is also highly advisable if one has reduced the grist bill
in
light of having better quality malt at ones disposal.
Also, I'd like to recommend the use of malted oats as it
simplifies
the production of the wort and makes for a shorter brew day.
Also,
their is no indication in this recipe that unmalted oats were used
so i
don't think that you'll have to be worried about a paucity of
historical
accuracy.
With regards to the two mashes I've just used a simple infusion
mash
in which i shoot for a high temperature, 157-160 degrees F., with
each
mash lasting an hour and a half. In all other respects i just
follow
the instructions from the first post on the subject.
A good reader pointed out that i erred by forgetting to include
what's to be done with the marshmallow. According to my notes you
place
half of the marshmallow into the small boil and the other half into
the
secondary fermenter.
The yeast issue is quite interesting in a few ways. Although
the
recipe says nothing about the yeast (as is the case with 90% of all
old
recipes) i have used a special Cornish yeast that Paul Filby posts
to me
now and again. The Yeast is harvested off a plant called a
pyracantha
(spelling?) shortly after the bloom goes off it's flower. What is
so
interesting about this yeast is that it's pretty alcohol tolerant
and
tastes good despite a bit of phenol and ester like qualities that
one
gets with it. A yeast supplier, i can't remember the name, in
the
states sells something called a "high temperature Belgian yeast"
which
works well up to 80 degrees F. The Cornish
yeast is some what similar in taste. I would recommend a high
quality
Belgian yeast that is suitable for tripled & quadbocks or an
English
yeast suitable for barley wine.
One must use a lot of slurry for this recipe, no less then 3
quarts
and more would be better. I would also suggest that the Braggot be
well
oxygenated roughly half a day after the yeast is pitched. Their
are
several sources in the states for pure oxygen and reasonably
priced
equipment that would allow for it to be injected into one's wort.
If
anyone needs a supplier just let me know.
I have used carboys with oak chips to great success when make
braggots. I would suggest that the recommendations for
conditioning
in the original recipe be followed closely. It has been my
experience
that this recipe requires prolong aging. Nine months to a year
would be
best prior to final conditioning to my mind. However, some folks
have
let it mature for only six months so you may wish to keep a small
amount
in tiny fermenter which you can sample and execute the final
conditioning after six months or so have passed.
Even though it's an alcoholic drink it also has a fair bit of
residual sweetness. In short it's very complicated beverage. When
i
make this drink, which is rarely because it's so pricey, i add the
final
amount of honey prior to bottling. When it's ready to be served
i
place an additional 2 teaspoons of warm honey into each horn, one
before
and one after the braggot has been pored.
Post #15
6/3/00
In light of the requests that i have had for simpler, faster
maturing gruited ale recipes i dug through my musty old notes books
and found a rattling good recipe from my ancestral hometown of
Odense.
Although it is not as simple as it could be anyone who makes all
grain ales could make it. My chum Finsken went to Odense about a
year ago and found it an inn/museum outside of town in a display
cabinet. He somehow talked the owner into letting him translate it
and Sorenson figured out how to adopt it to modern measures. I'll
start out with Finsken's Translation and show folks how to do it at
home with ease in the next post.
Oh, the historical bit is as follows: the current recipe was hand
written, apparently in the late 1400's according to the curator,
and purports to be "An old sombel winter ale that is suitable for
Christian
folk once the offending wood is discarded and replaced with health
fortifying fir". I would think that the "offending wood" in
question is likely to be yew or less likely ash. As to the actual
vintage of the
original recipe or it's religious significance i certainly can't
say.
Old Style OdenseAle
Yield:
quarter barrel (U.K.)
I think that's roughly 9 gallons U.S.
Grist Bill :
Malt, type unspecified, i assume pale: 1/2 a bushel
malt, darkish, i assume brown or amber: 1/4 a bushel
oats, type unspecified, i assume poorly malted or unmalted: 1/3 a
bushel
Sugars:
Syrup, fine, i assume pale: 4 pounds
Syrup, smoked?, i assume, dark: 4 pounds
Wood:
Fir, branches: a goodly amount
Fir, bark: 3 handfuls
Gruit
Wood Sage or yarrow "brew", i assume extract : to taste
Hyssop, i assume dried: a cup
blackthorn berries, crushed: a handful
woodruff "sugared & thickened", i assume to be syrup: 2 cups
*see notes at bottom*
"star spice", dried and crushed: 2 spoonfuls * see notes at
bottom*
Preparation:
" Boil 2/3's or so a barrel of water along with a goodly amount of
young fir branches till the water changes. After the water is drawn
off set aside the branches atop some clean stones and allow them to
dry in sun. "
Mash:
"Take the oats and an equal amount of barley malt placed in a
kettle and add boiled water while stirring till a dough like
mixture forms. Allow the mix to work a hour before adding enough
boiled water to give it a thinner yet hard to stir quality. After
another hour passes place the hot mix along with the remainder of
the grist into an ale tub (i assume mash tun) along with 3 buckets
of wood cured water that is to hot to touch but not twice boiled
and stir well. After yet another hour passes add enough twice
boiled wood laden water till a "gruel" (what ever is it?) like
quality is attained. Let the new admixture work for about two hours
before before stopping the work with two buckets of twice boiled
wood laden water."
Spicing:
"As the sweet liquor is drawn off the grist take the first fifth of
it and boil it along with a handful of bark, half the hyssop, half
the star spice and half of the fine syrup. The remainder of the
sweet liquor is drawn off on to most of the smoked syrup, stirred
well and allowed to cool. The sweet and spiced liquor is then
casked upon the dredges of a fine ale along with some bitter brewed
yarrow or wood
sage."
Conditioning:
"After the ale stops working add the remainder of the hyssop and
wood sage or yarrow bittered brew as preferred so as to better the
ale. Then add the remainder of the fine syrup and bark to the ale
after 4 days. After 30 days pass sample the ale to see if it meets
expectations. If not add add a bit more bittered brew or perhaps a
little smoked syrup. After another 30 days have passed taste the
ale again bittering it if needed. If the ale meets expectations
take the thickened & sweet woodruff and place it into the cask.
After a week add the remaining spices and wait a further week
before drinking. If against hopes the ale taste young wait a month
further before consuming. This ale is bettered by the addition of a
spoonful of crushed juniper berries to one's cup several moments
prior to consumption."
*notes*
I have beat my brains out trying to discover what exactly was "star
spice", also know as "stared spice", without success. Sorenson says
that he heard it was an old Swedish term for Anise but he doesn't
have any academic verification. Finsken says that his old
literature professor thinks that it was a term for a type cardamom
but once again I've no corroborating evidence.
The issue of the "thickened & sweet woodruff" is quite trying
as well. While i am aware of woodruff syrup being around as far
back as the 1600's i am not aware of the product known as such
existing
earlier. I have read of an obsolete practice whereby various dried
herbs and/or bark are combined with honey or molasses and boiled in
a greased vessel until a treacle like matter is created.
Unfortunately, i don't know when such a practice began or when it
was first used ales. I do however know that Fresian, German and
Danish ales were made using various kinds of caramelized honey and
molasses as far back as the late 1500's for the purpose of lending
color and different flavors to ales as the Belgians and Dutch do
today.
Post #16
6/13/00
A few historical tidbits -
The issue of the star spice seems to be more complicated then I
originally thought. After much poking about i discovered that star
anise was imported to Northern Europe long before the 1500's. At
least according to the Finnish Maritime museum, anise was known to
have been imported from from the early 1300's.
The issue of when the spice was first imported aside, the question
remains, was anise referred to as "star(ed) spice". According to an
earlier Dutch recipe star spice was actually a combination of
spices
made prior to Advent meant to commemorate the star that guided wise
men to the Nativity. While looking for confirmation of this theory
i noted that this spice mixture included gentian, some form of
wheat or bread, honey and a undefined aromatic bark. It would
appear that this concoction was boiled down to a thick syrup like
mixture and added to festive foods and drink. Of course that such a
spice was at a time used by the Dutch does not mean that it was
used by the Danes at a latter era
despite the same name.
However, at the famous Bronderslev cult site a similar mixture,
although i am not sure of the precise composition, was found in
bread remnants near a votive well. Assuming that the Odense recipe
was, as it appears and is represented, a christianized version of
an earlier beverage it would seem plausible that "star spice" was
merely another Nordic cultural vestige appropriated by the church.
This seems once again a reasonable conjecture as many Baltic and
Nordic ales used bread and similar baked products in their
production.
On a final note i found out that the production of heathen ales,
called demonic brew in actual written law, was expressly forbidden
in 1367 according to city ordinances. What constituted such a
beverage was unfortunately left rather vague. Such an ale was
described only as being made to "honor false gods using fowl woods,
poisons and weeds".
Hopefully some of the readership may have input on this matter. If
their appears to be the desire for additional information I'll give
any additional information that i have or come across as time
permits.
Oh, I'll finish up instruction on making this ale at home latter
this week.
Post #17
6/22/00
At long last and with apologies for the delay comes information on
how to actually make one of my favorite styles of ale. Transferring
the recipe into modern home brewing terms was undertaken by my
friend Sorenson while the translation of the original into the
first post on this subject was handled by Finsken. All measurements
when applicable are given in modern American measures as most of
the readership seem to be Americans. Any readers from the U.K.
should have little problem
translating the measures into imperial units. Any continental
readers should feel free to contact me for metric equivalents.
Oh, the * symbol means that the reader should consult the notes at
the end of the document.
Yield:
Nine gallons
Grist Bill:
malt, pale: 16 pounds
malt, amber or brown (smoked): 8 pounds *
oats, malted: 5
Sugars
treacle, pale: 4 pounds
honey or dark treacle: 4 pounds
Wood:
Fir, branches: a goodly amount
Fir, bark: 3 handfuls
Gruit
Wood Sage or yarrow "brew", i assume extract : to taste
Hyssop, i assume dried: a cup
blackthorn berries (also known as sloes berries), crushed: a
handful
woodruff "sugared & thickened", i assume to be syrup: 2
cups
"star spice", dried and crushed: 2 spoonfuls *
Preparation:
Boil 15 so gallons of water along with a bunch of young fir
branches till the water changes color to a deep green. This
generally takes 30 to 45 minutes. The water then should be drawn
off and set
aside while the branches dry in sun.
Mash:
I would suggest that a single stage infusion mash in the 155-158
degree Fahrenheit range be used for convenience's sake. The fir
laden water mentioned in the previous step is used for the strike
water. In this instance you'll be using roughly 12 12 gallons when
you mash in. If the temperature of your mash heat drops out side
the range i would suggest that you draw off a gallon or so of wort,
boil it and reintroduce it into your mash tun, stir well and check
to see if your mash is within the right temperature range. If it's
not just repeat the aforementioned procedure until it is. After
roughly 2 1/2 hours a mash out should be performed with the
remaindered of the fir laden water once it has been brought back to
a boil.
Smoked syrup production made easy:
Making this smoked syrup is a rather time consuming and complicated
practice when one follows the old methods. Luckily their is a
simpler way to get something similar if not dead on. I certainly
would not use this method for a period ale I'd submit for a local
competition as the locals would know its not the real deal.
However, the following is close enough that it should trick any but
the most critical audience. To do so take 4 pounds of treacle or
honey, a hand full of well smoked malt crushed into a flour, a
couple of pinches of bark and place them into a pot along with a
pint of water and stir well.
Vigorously boil the mixture until it becomes a thick glue like
mess.
Spicing:
The following excerpt from the first posting on this subject should
be easy enough to follow : "As the sweet liquor is drawn off the
grist take the first fifth of it and boil it along with a handful
of bark,
half the hyssop, half the star spice and half of the fine (i.e.
light) syrup. The remainder of the sweet liquor is drawn off on to
most of the smoked syrup, stirred well and allowed to cool. The
sweet and spiced liquor is then casked upon the dredges of a fine
ale." In order to make the bittering extract suitable for 10
gallons of ale take 4 ounces of wood sage or yarrow and boil
vigorously along with 20 ounces of water for around 30 minutes and
then strain off the bitter brew. The bitter extract is best stored
in sterile, sealed bottles.
I would recommend that roughly 4 or 5 ounces of the bitter extract
be added to the boiled portion of the wort rather then added to
your primary ferment as stated in the original recipe because of
improved anti septic performance.
A Note About Yeast:
I have had this ale with a variety of alcohol tolerant yeasts that
came out well . I would suggest that you use 16 ounces of slurry
per gallon of ale you intend to make. Pretty much any yeast
suitable for
barley wines, triple and quad bocks would work with this recipe. I
have found that this ale should be fermented between 63 & 68
degrees F. I would not recommend the use of wine, champagne or mead
yeasts with this recipe as the result would be too dry and lacking
in balance.
Conditioning:
Once again the original recipe provides sound guidance: "After the
ale stops working add the remainder of the hyssop and wood sage or
yarrow bittered brew as preferred so as to better the ale. Then add
the remainder of the fine syrup and bark to the ale after 4 days.
After 30 days pass sample the ale to see if it meets expectations.
If not add add a bit more bittered brew or perhaps a little smoked
syrup. After another 30 days have passed taste the ale again
bittering it if needed. If the ale meets expectations take the
thickened & sweet woodruff and place it into the cask. After a
week add the remaining spices and wait a further week before
drinking. If against hopes the ale taste young wait a month further
before consuming. This ale is bettered by the addition of a
spoonful of crushed juniper berries to one's cup several moments
prior to consumption."
In a previous post i sent in i found a source for woodruff syrup
which is what i would recommend be used where "thickened &
sweet woodruff" is called for. You could also take 3 ounces of
dried
woodruff along with 4 cups of water and 2 cups honey and boil them
to together until you get a thick syrup and use it instead of the
commercial equivalent if you are concerned with cost.
If you add juniper berries to your drinking vessel as mentioned
above make sure that they are fresh, clean and lightly crushed. A
tablespoon per pint should suffice if allowed to sit for 6-10
minutes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Notes*
In so far as the malt selection is concerned either amber or brown
is fine, although
i prefer brown, i would suggest that a mixture of the two be used
as most American brewers are not familiar with brown malt and may
find it's flavor too assertive. In a pervious post i talked about
how to smoke malt using an American style grill. This procedure
works fine and should be employed for this recipe.
If you can't get malted oats you could use rolled or flaked oats
provided that you mash them separately with an equal amount of
barley malt before adding them to the main mash. If you do this i
would suggest that you mash the oat/barley mix for 30 minutes at
130 degrees Fahrenheit before raising the mash to 150 degrees for
an additional hour.
A fair amount of controversy arose in past posts regarding the
nature of the so called "star spice" . Rather then bashing that bit
about again i would suggest that you just use your favorite anise.
I
use use roughly 50% more then is called for in the above recipe and
recommend the same.
POST #18
6/29/00
Every since i began sending in postings to this forum i have been
aware of an interest in ales from my little part of the world.
Contrary to some whimsical notions that the readership may have
heard of the use lye, puffins and herring are not part of folkish
brewing here although i am sure the idea has occurred to some of my
more eccentric lansmen.
I also have in recent months received several requests for a
lighter, faster maturing ale. Both interests should be satisfied by
Ulla Ostergaard's table ale which won first prize in its category
during the recent ale compassion at the Eystanstevna festival held
in Runavik on the isle of Eysturoy. I would like to thank Mrs.
Ostergaard of Nes for permission to post her recipe as well as for
her help with complying the historical notes.
Without a doubt the most interesting aspect of how this ale is made
is way in which the mash temperature is determined. A small notch
is cut deep into the side of the mash tub without fully penetrating
the wall. After the initial mash in a pebble roughly the size of
one's upper thumb is placed within this notch and held in place
with a homemade glue. Apparently, these pebbles are often adorned
with highly stylized or grotesque faces that at one time presumably
held cultic
significance.
What happens is that as boiled water is added to the mash and the
mash temperature increases the glue gradually loses its staying
power until the pebble slips from it's mount. When i first learned
of this last summer i took it upon myself to experiment over the
course of 8 batches of ale with a set of borrowed pebbles, glue and
mash tub. Amazingly i found that the mash temperature
consistently fell between 154 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit when the
glue lost it's staying power.
What is so interesting about this little tidbit is that a similar
practice was employed by ancient Celtic bakers in Dedham and
elsewhere in Essex for the purpose of gauging oven temperature and
serving some talisman like function.1
Now even though it is common knowledge that the islands were
settled first, however briefly, by Irish monks i thought the
practice to remote to make the transition to Eysturoy. Imagine then
my surprise when i discovered the similarity between Jutish and
Irish iron age iconographies as exhibited by carved heads from
Cortynan and several Danish heads used for similar purposes.
2 This similarity is also seen in the examples of
tricephalos works from Armagh and Juteland 3 .
Obviously i am in no position to state when such a practice started
butit is certain that the practice, at least in Essex, continued
into the17th century. 4
The actual origins of the recipe remain obscure although Mrs.
Ostergaard tells me that it dates back to the time of Bishop
Erlendur5 when the recipe included beans as a
sixth of the grist bill. Although
the use of beans certainly fits the period i have been unable to
verify any specific date for the appearance of the style.
Presently, the grist bill consists of three parts malted barley,
one part malted rye, and two parts unmalted wheat. Mrs. Ostergaard
prefers commercial malt but usually makes her own out of concern
for economy.
The gruit is composed of dried ground ivy, Linden flowers, balm,
juniper berries Anise and cloves. All of these herbs were imported
along with various malts from the at least the late 1300's onwards
by the old trade monopoly according to documents readily found at
the North Islands Museum at Klasvik.
Most who now make this ale prefer to add fresh beech or birch
shavings during the partial boil, fermentation and conditioning. I
would venture to say that such a practice would have been
rather
uncommon during the old days do to the high cost of imported wood
and the lack of local lumber supplies until recently.
The style typically has 15-20% of it's fermentable content provided
by either homemade browned sugar which is made by boiling honey
along with licorice or anise or a sugar syrup similar to English
gold treacle. The addition of sugars serve to lighten the body and
provide a higher alcoholic content.
The next post will describe how to make this ale. It is actually
quite easy to produce and quite refreshing so give it a shot! The
last post I'll send in will cover what it ought to taste like and
any lose
ends that should be tied up.
POST #19
7/5/00
This wonderful little beverage is as refreshing to me a good spiced
vit so this is the perfect season to whip it up as it should be
ready by August. Once again I'd like to thank Mrs. Ostergaard for
her fine
recipe and help compiling these posts. Please consult the notes at
the end of the post as indicated by:
**** Oh, the measures are in American terms unless stated
otherwise.
Yield: 5 gallons
Grist Bill:
malt, pale: 6 pounds ( one pound ground to a flour like
consistency)
rye, malted: 2 pounds
wheat, unmalted: 4 four pounds
Sugars:
treacle, dark: a tin (454 grams)
honey, a citrus variety of some some sort: 1 pound
Wood:
young beech or birch bark: a hand full
Gruit:
ground ivy, dried: 1 1/2 ounces
Linden flowers, dried: 2 ounces
*Orange balm, dried & cut: 2 ounces
juniper berries, dried: 2 ounces
Anise, freshly crushed: one tablespoon
cloves, freshly crush: one tablespoon
(*Editors Note: Adam later posted the following: "I was
mistaken in my copying of our notes regarding the recipe which
should have said lemon rather then orange. However, their is such a
thing as orange balm and several recipes call for it that i have
not posted. Although it's a great low key bitter spice with a
pleasant aroma as the stuff costs 46 dollars a pound!)
Preparation:
" Take the crushed wheat and allow it to sit in a covered pot along
with enough water to cover the cereal. Keep it on a low heat for a
couple of hours so that the mix is quite warm to the touch but take
care that it does not get hotter then a warm bath. Add a half a
pint or so of water every half hour and stir well so as to keep
down the heat. 1
The day before you brew boil one once of the ground ivy along with
a quart of water for about an hour and a half. Strain off the hot
liqueur and place it in a clean jug and cap loosely as it cools.
When
the liqueur is cool seal the jug well."
Mashing:
"Take the now improved wheat mix and combine it along with half the
malt in your mash tub and two gallons of water that is too hot to
touch. One can tell that the water is hot enough when steam starts
to raise but the water has yet to bubble. Mix the contents of the
tub well and allow the mash to set for two hours
.2
After the two hours has passed add the remainder of the grist along
with a gallon of boiled water and allow the mix to set for about an
hour. Next, draw off half a gallon of the sweet liquid and combine
it
with an equal amount of cold water which is then brought to a boil
before being mixed back into the tub. This procedure should be
repeated every hour or so over the course of the next three hours.
Lastly, add two gallons of boiled water, stir and wait fifteen
minutes.
After the mash is complete draw off the sweet liquid into your brew
pot, pour it carefully back into your mash tub and allow the mash
to settle before drawing it off again. After the liquid comes to a
boil add the Linden Flowers, syrup, half the bark, half of the balm
and the remaining dried ground ivy and two ounces of the extract.
After the liquid has boiled for half an hour draw off the liquid
leaving behind the pasty dregs." 3
Fermentation:
"The liquid should be dropped onto the fresh dregs of a finished
ale along with the honey. If you have have no fresh dregs a liter
or so of yeast slurry should be fine. Once the ale has stopped
working transfer it to a second well cleaned cask or churn into
which all the remaining spices and bark are placed excepting the
juniper."
Conditioning:
"After the ale sets for two weeks taste it to see if it is well
bittered and aged, if it is not bitter enough add a tablespoon of
extract and wait another week to see if it meets expectations, if
not just repeat the previous step."
"When the ale is ready to serve draw off a large mug and heat the
ale till it's too hot to touch before letting the juniper berries
steep for half an hour. Strain off the liquid and pour it back into
the cask
and serve."
*********************************************************
Notes:
1 When i experimented with this little technique i
found that this meant that roughly 110 to 120 degrees
Fahrenheit.
2 My experience has shown that this method
translates into a strike water temperature of roughly 180 degrees
Fahrenheit
3 My experiments have shown that the O.G. for this
recipe is from 1.043 to 1.047 at this stage of the production
process when using commercial malts and unmalted wheat. If you
follow my suggestion below you should expect an additional 2 to 4
points added to your original gravity.
- Obviously, this recipe has a decent chance of resulting in a
stuck mash which can be fixed by either substituting half the
unmalted wheat with malted wheat or by simply remashing when a
stuck occurs.
Personally, i prefer the earlier option.
- I have found that typically this ale takes 4 or 5 weeks to mature
properly into a light bodied and well spiced ale.
- I have discovered that Mrs. Ostergaard was right about the
approximate vintage of this recipe in so far as the basic elements
of the grist and gruit are concern as indicated by records i
overlooked at the old Monopoly House museum.
Post # 20
6/9/00
The issue of yeast has been raised in the historical context of
this ale and i am afraid that that any real information has been
lost in "the sands of time" so to speak. The paucity of flora and
fauna here means that their are relatively few places that one
could capture wild yeast and non of them are near Nes. During the
period in question barrels of "ale and mead dregs" were listed in
shipping manifests as imported items. Apparently, they were "feed
so as to preserve the contents" which i assume means that sugar was
added during the course of the voyage. Of course i think it
reasonable that ale made in the taverns of the larger settlements
could have been brought to the Nes area and the dregs from the
consumed barrels used by local brewers to make what they wanted.
Mrs. Ostergaard says that her favorite yeasts are Pride of Ringwood
and some Belgian White culture. For the table ale she mixes both
together to form a rather interesting flavor element.
Apparently, her grandmother used to get her yeast from a now
defunct local tavern that made it's own ale about which i can't
find out anything useful.
Post # 21
6/20/00
R.K. Sykes' "Instructions For Thrifty Ale Wives" (1797) fifth
recipe is provided instead of the planned Fresian strawberry ale as
a
result of illness afflicting the translator Christgan Paftler. I
picked
it because its a nice summer ale for readers from more balmy climes
then
mine. My next installment will discus how to make this recipe given
the
vagueness found at points in accordance with Donnsby's
recommendations.
This recipe was, according to Sykes, conceived during the reign
of
Richard II in Caernarvonshire where it apparently served during
Sykes'
time in local roadhouses. As is the case with a great many old
recipes
copied during latter yet still distant eras verification of the
originating recipe is dodgy at best. It certainly has all of
the
elements common to what little i know Welsh recipes of the time
in
question but i certainly can't verify it.
Oh, measurements are in imperial units throughout. By the way,
a
gill is equal to a four ounces. As always, a * signifies that
the
reader should consult the relevant note found further on.
Yield:
1 firkin
(9 gallons)
Grist Bill:
malt, "fyne" - 12 pounds
malt, amber - 8 pounds
oats, type unspecified - 4 pounds
beans, unspecified type - 4 pounds
Wood:
fir, rind, 1/ 2 pounds
fir, tops, 1/2 pounds
Sugars:
Cream - 2 quarts
Spices:
one gill of of each of the following:
burnet
elder berries
bentony
avens*
marshmallow*
and two gills of Alecost*
fruit:
pears, ripe, cut & crushed: a pin's worth ( i assume 4 1/2
gallons)
Preparation:
"Boil your brew water along with the fir rind for a goodly amount
of
time so as to draw the goodness out"
Mashes
"Combine the oats with an equal portion of malt and a bucket of
nearly twice boiled boiled water. Allow the gruel like mix to work
as
per the art for two hours.
Into a larger ale tub place the remainder of the grist, the hot
gruel,
beans, half a gill of alecost and elderberries as well as two
buckets
of the wooded water boiled a second time. Allow the new mix to
work
for a couple of hours. Boil the remaining wooded water once again
and
pour it into the tub so as to stop the work.
Draw off the sweet liqueur into the brew pot on top of the fir
tops
as slowly as possible. Keep a reserve of the sweet liqueur
generous
enough to allow one to gyle wort the cask in bottles kept in a
cool
cellar. "
Boil:
"Boil the sweet liqueur vigorously for two hours along with the
remainder of the spices and cream before drawing it off into a
coolship. Once the liqueur is cool place it into a kilderkin ( an
18
gallon cask i reckon) along with a goodly amount of "country
creamed
ale balm" (this reference escapes me) and the peaches."
Conditioning:
" let the ale work till it becomes still and rack to a smaller
cask.
After a month taste the ale and if it be overly sweet add a bit
of
bitter alecost tea and wait another month."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
* Alecost (chrysanthemum balsamita) is a great bitting agent
and
preservative that i have yet to find a commercial supplier for.
I
would recommend that when following this recipe that you substitute
the
Alecost with Alehoof/ground ivy which one can get for five dollars
per
pound in the states with little bother.
* When i made it i was unable to locate a source for avens which
i
substituted an equal amount of Linden flowers for. Also, when i
made it
i did not know what marshmallow was so i didn't use it either.
The
original recipe called for the use of eyebright which Sykes
dismissed as
"harsh and fouling to both ale and drinker" and left it out
accordingly.
* I have made this ale using cream as recommended for the first
time
with great results after a six week wait. Off hand i don't know how
to
substitute the proper amount of lactose for the recommended amounts
of
cream so the more chemically minded members of the readership
should
consider this as i doubt that urban folks could get fresh cream
easily.
Post # 22
6/21/00
Questions regarding how one can make the ale now given the
rather
vague nature of some of the instructions has afforded me an
opportunity to experiment with different production methods.
Because
the British isles have always had a reputation for producing
well
modified malts i suspect that complicated mash regimens more common
to
my little corner of the world are inappropriate for the application
at
hand. As a result, I attempted to implement an obsolete mashing
practice for this recipe as was described by Roy Suggsden's
"The
Curious & Quaint Ales of Our Forefathers" (1912). For those of
you
who don't have the post on that subject i have reproduced a
relevant
except below:
"Suggsden's renditions of old recipes call for 1.5 to 2 quarts
of
water per pound of grist. with one pound per ten of the grist
ground to
flour like constancy with the remainder being courser. A mash out
is
then recommended with one quart of boiling water per pound of
grist. This form of mashing is followed by the wort being drawn
off
slowly over a period of one to three hours depending upon the
grist
composition. Typically, some portion of the hop substitutes are
placed
in the collection vessel during this phase of the process. The
collected wort is not recirculated.
My experience has been that these procedures result in a low
yield
of high gravity wort. Extraction is typically around 70%. In
order
to collect enough wort to produce my customary 6 gallon batches
my
grist bills are typically 50% to 70% higher then would be the case
for
modern ales of comparable gravity."
I have found the above method to work fine with this particular
recipe although Donnsby tells me that better results have been had
with
2 1/2 quarts of strike water per pound of grist and that two
recirculations result in a cleaner, fresher tasting product in the
case
of this recipe. Where as George is clearly superior to me in
matters of
making old ales i would recommend that the readership follow
his
recommendation.
In terms of the amount of boiling water needed for the mash out
i
would recommend increasing it by 50% over the amount stated above.
In
part this is a result of the prolonged boil time but more so as
a
result that i have found the additional boiled water helps with
preventing stucks. Donnsby has recently told me of a neat little
trick
to prevent stucks with older adjunct laden, no sparge ales. He
splits
the mash out water in half and waits until the water standing over
the
grist bed is down by 70% before introducing the remainder of the
mash
out water via underletting. I have yet to try it but he has yet
to
steer me wrong.
I followed the original recommendation of adding part of the
gruit
to the main mash and i can report neither a perceptible problem
or
benefit from so doing. On the other hand i have yet to make the ale
any
other way then what the recipe calls for so maybe their is some
good
reason for the procedure described that i am unaware of.
Oh, I have found that drawing off the wort should take roughly
two
hours for maximum efficiency and minimizing the chances of a
stuck
occurring.
In order to prevent this ale becoming cloy, which is a real
possibility, i strongly recommend that you use a alcohol tolerant
U.K.
yeast. I use Thomas Hardy yeast that Donnsby got for me a year ago
that
has mutated by now but still tastes good.
Post #23
8/20/00
I have noted that a great many of the readers on this list are
quite
keen on Celtic ales in general and Scottish in particular. At
their
request i have been rummaging about in my research material that
has yet
to turn up any thing particularly old and Scottish but i have found
a
fine Welsh ale that i copied a few couple of years ago out of
Roy
Suggsden's "The Curious & Quaint Ales of Our Forefathers"
(1912) pages
21-23. Suggsden states that a similar ale was still popular in
Caerwys
just a generation prior to book's publication and he say that it
came
into popularity in 1578 when it was first made as a celebratory
drink
consumed on Nos Galan but apparently became more frequently
available as
time when on. Unfortunately, Suggsden only mentions support for
date
of origin in the form of comments to that effect made by an
elderly
local brewer William Madoc from which came the recipe apparently
came.
I do understand that rather vaguely similar ale also existed in
Scotland and is in production to day by Scottish specialty
brewer
although i have yet to try it. I have made the ale 3 times and i
must
say that it is fantastic, if you are interested in historical
brewing or
just like strong ales you owe it to your self to whip up a
batch.
Oh, the quantities are mentioned in imperial measures as i have
not
had the time to transfer them in to American terms.
Nos Galan Ale (one Firkin)
Grist Bill:
"dark malt" (i assume brown or blackened): 8 quarts
"bright malt"( i assume pale but i am not sure): 8 quarts
oats (unspecified type, i assume unprocessed): 8 quarts
Sugars:
2 quarts of cream
Wood: thinnest possible fir shavings ("a halt foot long or so and
half
as
much a cross")
Gruit:
Meadow sweet: 1 pound
ground ivy: 1/4 pound
Mugwort: 1/8 pound ( i presume a 18th. or 19th. century
addition)
woodruff: 1/8 pound
wood sage: 1/4 pound
Spanish juice: 1/8 pound (i assume licorice)
Pearl or Iceland Moss: 4 spoonfuls (i think that this is a fining
agent
like Irish moss)
lavender: 3 spoonfuls
Production:
The original mashing regimen was according to Suggsden "the
most
incomprehensible bother known to ale making in the land" and
precedes
to provides a simplified, but still unusual mash method which he
says
works well. He states that:
"you take one third of the malt and combine it with the oats
and
combine it with 6 gallons water heated till the steam starts to
rise for
from it. Which I measured this to be about 55 C. After half an hour
so
one draws off a gallon, boils it and adds it back to the mash
before
waiting another half an hour.
Next boil four gallons of water along with the fir for half an
hour
and add the spiced water to the mash along with the remainder of
the
malt and half of the ground ivy. After an hour passes 10 quarts
of
boiled water are added and let set for three fourths an hour.
Lastly,
one draws off 2 gallons from the mash and combines it with a gallon
of
water and boils the mixture prior to adding it back into the mash
and
allowing it to set for an hour and a half."
The liquid is then drawn off and set aside while the mash " is
reworked with fir spiced water." The two worts are then combined
and
"boiled along all the spices and cream save the Spanish juice,
mugwort,
lavender and pearl and boiled for no less then an hour and a half.
As
the wort cools add the Spanish juice, lavender and pearl."
Once the wort cools you are to "drop the liqueur into a cask
containing the fresh residue of a suitably strong ale and allow it
to
work for a week before adding an additional 2 quarts of fresh ale
balm
or yeast. After the ale stops working add the mugwort to the ale in
a
muslin sack and let it set for a week prior to being bottled or
served."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
When i make this ale i usually heat it with a poker prior to
serving
it as the carmelization does seem to add something to flavor
profile
Post #24
11/19/00
I have some suggestions for making the previously posted Porter
recipe in the modern kitchen. Because i have found that most folks
on
the list are Americans I'll give American measurements. Because
most
home brewers seem to make five and a half gallon batches i have
opted to
go with that measure. Also, i strongly suggest that anyone
interested
in making old fashioned ales see the "no sparge" information found
at
www.promash.com because it is the only thing that i have come
across on
the internet that gives any useful information on the subject. I
also
have calculated the adoption of the Porter recipe according to the
fore
mentioned guidelines.
For the grist bill i suggest the following:
14 1/4's pounds of brown malt, toasted at 350 F. for 20 minutes
9 1/2's pounds of pale malt
4 3/4's pounds of oats
- For sugar i would suggest 24 ounces of Demerara sugar as it
is
cheaper then treacle
- For hops i would suggest 46 IBU's worth of Brambling Cross hops
as
that is what i have used with good results in other old fashioned
ales
and i have no idea what would constitute a contemporary equivalent
of
the "Kentish" hops mentioned by the original author.
- I would imagine that a single stage infusion mash at about 156 F.
for
90-120 minutes should be suitable for the recipe.
- The boil should be about 90 minutes with hops introduced at the
start
of the boil and the Yarrow (one ounce) introduced along with 3/4's
an
ounce of licorice root after the boil has continued for 30 minutes.
One
should add the final quarter ounce of licorice during the final
fifteen
minutes of the boil. Oh, i should point out that the folks that i
know
who have made this ale recommend the addition of an ounce of
Linseed
during the last 15 minutes of the boil although i have not used the
herb
and i can't give any advice as to it's qualities. Perhaps someone
in
the readership, can offer some insight on Linseed?
- It would seem best for this ale to be aged in a cask or perhaps
a
fermenter which has had oak chips liberally added to it. One
would
also imagine that a fairly low level of carbonation would be best
suited
towards the ale.
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